Sherrone Moore, Michigan Fail to Silence Doubters, CFB Fans in Win vs. Minnesota

The Michigan Wolverines held on to win their second straight game after naming Alex Orji the starting quarterback, beating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 27-24 on Saturday in Ann Arbor.

The performance will have done little to assuage the fanbase's fears over the offense.

Thanks to its defense, Michigan was in the driver's seat at halftime. A blocked punt in the second quarter set up Orji's 11-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Morris, which made it a 21-0 game at the time.

However, head coach Sherrone Moore still doesn't seem to trust Orji much as a passer and based on Minnesota's game plan, opposing teams are acting accordingly.

The quarterback change after the Arkansas State win made sense because the passing game was going nowhere with Davis Warren, who had thrown six interceptions through three starts.

However, the added dimension Orji brings as a runner doesn't cancel out how ill-equipped he looks when throwing down the field.

In the third quarter, he had tight end Colston Loveland wide open in the middle of the field and sailed the ball straight into the arms of Minnesota defensive back Ethan Robinson. The junior also missed running back Donovan Edwards streaking down sideline without a Golden Gophers defender in front of him.

For as much criticism as Orji received, fans were once again asking a much larger question: How did Moore let things reach this point in the first place? Especially as somebody promoted from within, he will have had a good read on whether Warren or Orji would be a suitable successor to J.J. McCarthy.

Moore and his staff decided against adding a proven quarterback through the transfer portal. As a result, he's left with a greatly flawed offense and one for which he doesn't seem to know how to scheme around that.

Michigan hits the road to play Washington next week in a rematch of last year's national championship, with the Huskies slipping to 3-2 following their 21-18 loss to Rutgers on Friday night.

Moore will be counting on a win in Seattle so the pressure will be a little less when he has an extra week to work with his staff and figure out a solution to the QB problem in time for an Oct. 19 date with No. 19 Illinois.